For weeks, the bike sector has been gripped by an increasingly heated debate about the industry's crisis. In recent days, however, there has also been talk of another crisis, perhaps less obvious but potentially even more dangerous: that of the competitive world, particularly granfondo cycling, and, more generally, the competitive system.
Teams folding, athletes without contracts, events reducing numbers or disappearing from the calendar. The situation is complex and worrying, and it directly affects our entire ecosystem.
Looking at the medium term, two critical factors emerge, which are deeply interconnected.
The first is that of the prices out of control, which are driving away fans. The second is the progressive downsizing of the competitive sector, both amateur and professional.
Prices and generational turnover: a wall for young people
Rising costs have a devastating impact, especially on the new generations.
A forty-year-old who has always ridden a bike will somehow continue to do so: he will reduce his purchases, extend his usage cycles, but he will remain within the system.
A twenty-year-old boy just starting out in the world of mountain biking, however, faces a wall of thousands of euros needed even to get started.
The result is simple: even if he wanted to work hard, train, and grow as a biker, he would probably choose something else.
The real risk is that in ten years' time we will find ourselves without a real enthusiast base, the one that keeps the sector alive: those who pedal, follow the media, participate in events, change components, buy clothing and fuel the entire system.
The real alarm: the reduction of "top" competitiveness
While the causes of the crisis in the amateur world are fairly obvious—an aging base, high costs, demanding travel, and fewer young players—the real alarm bell is the contraction of the top competitive sector.
Here comes into play a question as simple as it is uncomfortable:
If today the sales ratio between e-bikes and traditional bikes is approximately 9 to 1 in favor of the assisted one, why should a company continue to invest in a sector that does not drive the market?
The problem arises when e-bikes fail to build a strong and recognizable competitive identity. Without a clear "racing" dimension, assisted bikes remain a commercial product, but lose their value as a generator of culture, aspiration, and belonging.
Why the base race is essential
Every sport — even the most unconventional ones like skateboarding, freeriding, or surfing — has its own events, competitions, and athletes. That's where the Community .
The community is the core:
- lives on passion
- he informs
- follows the events
- identifies with athletes
- acts as a catalyst for new practitioners
Without a structured community, any movement is destined to slowly die out.
And that's why the real concern today is the decline in events and interest in competitive MTB. It could be a sign of something we've seen before. Anyone remember BMX?
Misano as a wake-up call
I had this feeling clearly at Misano.
Wandering around the stands, observing super technological components, hyper breathable helmets, thermoformed saddles, I asked myself a simple question: Who will need these products if the market sells almost only e-bikes?
Assisted e-bikes don't require extreme lightweight construction or cutting-edge technology. Just look at how most e-bikers pedal.
But above all: if you don't build a community that waits for the World Cup, that looks at the pro's bike to try to replicate it, that discusses, comments and dreams... Who will these products be sold to?
Perhaps the crisis in competitive sport is not a side effect of the crisis in industry.
This is perhaps its most dangerous cause.
